Brussels, August 20 (RHC)-- The European Union has warned of deepening humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, amid Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians.

In a joint statement issued on the eve of World Humanitarian Day, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, referred to the Protect Aid Workers initiative the bloc established to help local aid workers who have fallen victim while carrying out their missions.

“The majority of the applications received through the platform are from the Occupied Palestinian West Bank and Gaza, where a humanitarian catastrophe has been unfolding before our eyes over the past 10 months.”

The EU statement said: “2023 was the deadliest year on record for aid workers, and 2024 is likely to follow the same harrowing trend.”

Emphasizing the crucial role played by humanitarians during disasters and conflicts, the statement noted: “This selfless calling to bring relief – but also hope – to the most vulnerable must be honored and protected.”  “We have stated year after year that humanitarian workers must be protected at all costs, without exceptions. But in this increasingly volatile world, words alone are not enough.  It is time for action.”

The statement came as the bloc’s key ally, Israel, continues to conduct indiscriminate strikes on Gaza.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured tens of thousands of others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.